CONFIRMED(?)- Dish Discontinuing Absolute HD Package

[bebop]

I'm an Absolute sub and it's getting harder and harder to find out what the real scoop is here with everyone else posting and complaining about things. Isn't there some rule to where we can keep things on topic?

Or perhaps another thread that only deals with the details of what's going on with the Absolute HD package??

 

[vaylon]

Why not just lock this thread. Its become useless.
51 pages of comments and only 3 people have said they were contacted.

 

[jerryez]

While this is NOT official I am hearing that two of the programmers are forcing them to remove channels from the package as part of their contract renewal and DISH does not have contracts with others to replace the channels being removed.

If I had this package I wouldn't be upset it was going away, But I would smile knowing that for thepast few years I had the best deal in television anywhere, and that it truely was!

Well, I am upset and they need not bother calling me until the are disconecting me. I hate Direct, but will change to Direct or Uverse(I also hate ATT), before I continue with Dish without Absolute. If someone is going to get more money out of me, it sure as HELL won't be Dish.

 

[stardust3]

Bob's continual posting all the time can be compared to "pounding meat to tenderize it". They both help with loneliness..............

I don't mind his posts, let the man speak or put him on an ignore list.

Still waiting here, no call yet.......still have not decided what to do if & when I receive a call. I'm anxious to hear what others have negotiated in regards to absolute.

 

[whatchel1]

welcome

Wow! Looks like this is happening at the right time for me! I've been a Dish customer since 1998 and a satellite customer since 1994 (DirecTV first). Our cable system is completely worthless and has been for a very long time. Even now, the digital side has very little - if any - HD. That meant from '94, the only reasonable option was satellite.

I've been using an external antenna to receive local HD since before Dish even had any HD (thanks to the antenna input in my Dish 622 receiver and its HD predecessor.) I receive seventeen channels via the antenna (since they're all digital now, that doesn't mean seventeen separate stations!) ...and that includes some locals Dish doesn't have in their lineup - and they should.

Uverse has just been turned on for my neighborhood, and since my wife and I are AT&T/SBC/Pacific Bell/Pacific Telephone retirees, we will be able to get the service at a substantial discount (close to half what we're currently paying Dish.) There's no excuse for staying with satellite under those conditions. The one (small) problem I will have is some of the same stations Dish doesn't carry as local, Uverse doesn't either - and we watch one of them a lot! That means I'm going to have to subscribe to Tivo, too. The plus side of that is I can record some programs OTA on Tivo in even better quality than I will get through Uverse! I can't find a down side!

I'm going to run out of inputs to my Outlaw 990 pre/processor with Blu-Ray, Uverse and Tivo, but the 998 is coming (soon, I hope), and it should take care of that. In the meantime, I'll have to switch both the 990 and the TV to get picture from all the inputs. (I know there are ways to solve this short of a new processor, but I want the processor, and have been looking forward to it.)

I think that kinda means I won't have much to say in this forum when the conversion is done. Too bad I just heard about you. There were times in years past I would have LOVED to have a place to rant.

to the forum. Hope you like U-verse. Hope it's equipment is better than what I've heard. Tivo maybe a good choice w/ it. I don't know if it is compatible or not. So better sure to ask them before you buy it.

 

[KAB]

Uverse has just been turned on for my neighborhood, and since my wife and I are AT&T/SBC/Pacific Bell/Pacific Telephone retirees, we will be able to get the service at a substantial discount (close to half what we're currently paying Dish.) There's no excuse for staying with satellite under those conditions. The one (small) problem I will have is some of the same stations Dish doesn't carry as local, Uverse doesn't either - and we watch one of them a lot! That means I'm going to have to subscribe to Tivo, too. The plus side of that is I can record some programs OTA on Tivo in even better quality than I will get through Uverse! I can't find a down side!

Just be sure to give Uverse a few days before canceling Dish to see if you can really tolerate their equipment and HD quality.

 

[Bobby]

Or lack thereof....

 

[kyleorton]

I checked back to see if there were any more reports on what we Absolute customers were being offered, but it doesn't look like anythings happening for the people posting here. So I thought I'd post what I would LIKE them to offer me after comparing my options with DirecTV and local cable.

-No renewed contract.
-200 Channel Package for $39.99.
-Free HD.
-NFL Redzone Channel for this season (I can't believe they'd make anyone pay for this. It should just be used to distract football fans from not having Sunday Ticket).
-Exchange my 722 for a 722K with one of the 2x OTA deals I read about on here. I like OTA.
-Get rid of one of the dishes on my garage so I can get locals and everything else with just one.
-Replace my worn out remote or show me a way to get the TV2 remote I don't use to work as TV1.
-Have an installer help me add my little indoor/outdoor antenna to the incoming line using a diplexer.
- Fix the OTA sub channel listings in my area so that PBS-2 doesn't just show the same listings as PBS-1.

I would still be missing UniversalHD (just started watching Six Feet Under on it last week) and Hallmark Movie Channel, but that can be solved through 3 months of Netflix and a used VCR respectively. If they were to offer this to me, I think I'd be perfectly happy staying.

 

[whatchel1]

Not gonna happen

I checked back to see if there were any more reports on what we Absolute customers were being offered, but it doesn't look like anythings happening for the people posting here. So I thought I'd post what I would LIKE them to offer me after comparing my options with DirecTV and local cable.

-No renewed contract.
-200 Channel Package for $39.99.
-Free HD.
-NFL Redzone Channel for this season (I can't believe they'd make anyone pay for this. It should just be used to distract football fans from not having Sunday Ticket).
-Exchange my 722 for a 722K with one of the 2x OTA deals I read about on here. I like OTA.
-Get rid of one of the dishes on my garage so I can get locals and everything else with just one.
-Replace my worn out remote or show me a way to get the TV2 remote I don't use to work as TV1.
-Have an installer help me add my little indoor/outdoor antenna to the incoming line using a diplexer.
- Fix the OTA sub channel listings in my area so that PBS-2 doesn't just show the same listings as PBS-1.

I would still be missing UniversalHD (just started watching Six Feet Under on it last week) and Hallmark Movie Channel, but that can be solved through 3 months of Netflix and a used VCR respectively. If they were to offer this to me, I think I'd be perfectly happy staying.

The 722 to 722k is an upgrade that right there is 2 yr contract. Been there done that. Universal HD is part of the plat pack that I think they are saying we get free for 6 months. PBS 2 guide problem is most likely at the station since it isn't carried by E*. I could be wrong on that the only way to know is to look at an OTA STB that you can compare.

 

[?Sa?dma???]

I think that they should offer us Platinum free (not just for 6 months) as it is included in our Absolute package.

 

[whatchel1]

That's the ticket

I think that they should offer us Platinum free (not just for 6 months) as it is included in our Absolute package.

I think so too but it's not what I understand we are being offered.

 

[lparsons21]

Well, I am upset and they need not bother calling me until the are disconecting me. I hate Direct, but will change to Direct or Uverse(I also hate ATT), before I continue with Dish without Absolute. If someone is going to get more money out of me, it sure as HELL won't be Dish.

/sarcasm on
Yeah, I wouldn't want to give any more money to the one service that offered the best deal in HD satellite service for these years either!
/sarcasm off

Oh Please!

 

[yaz96]

/sarcasm on
Yeah, I wouldn't want to give any more money to the one service that offered the best deal in HD satellite service for these years either!
/sarcasm off

Oh Please!

You are one of those that are more than welcome to keep out of this thread!

 

[lparsons21]

I may or may not take your suggestion, my choice. Thanks for making the suggestion.

 

[whatchel1]

Almost funny

I may or may not take your suggestion, my choice. Thanks for making the suggestion.

Oh Please!

 

[Ilya]

Guys, please stop personal attacks! Isn't this thread long enough without that?!!
Please stay on topic! Thanks!

(Some off-topic posts deleted.)

 

[levibluewa]

Still waiting here, no call yet.......still have not decided what to do if & when I receive a call. I'm anxious to hear what others have negotiated in regards to absolute.

Same here.

 

[getstuff4less]

I think that they should offer us Platinum free (not just for 6 months) as it is included in our Absolute package.

Has anyone made any counter offers? I would try for Platinum included for free as well. Given the fact it was included with Absolute and given to subs free a couple months ago.

Same thoughts here. We should be able to give out counter offers too.

 

[Bob Haller]

Same thoughts here. We should be able to give out counter offers too.

Reportedly E reps are on very short leashes, and have lost near all ability to negoiate with unhappy subs.

Ideally the cancel rate should be 100%......

this might make E modify its plan

 

[JohnEL]

I received a call from DISH the other day, but I was not home-thankfully.
In comparing the packages, I may just have to go with the HD Dish America package. Ya I loose alot, but I will still keep some of the HD channels that I like and PI's-yes I do watch some of them!
At least it's the same price as the Absolute package and I don;t have to worry down the road about thier price increases after their "special offers"run out.